


The King of Earth and the King of Heaven

by kingachilles



Category: Alexander the Great (2003) RPF
Genre: Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-22 21:32:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13175619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingachilles/pseuds/kingachilles
Summary: Alexander the Great knows that he is close to death.  As he feels death approaching he starts to feel the need to have some of life's most important questions answered such as, "What is the point of all of this?"  He sends his men out to find the greatest sages in Persia and Alexander ends up meeting a man named Zand, an enlightened sage who attempts to help Alexander understand as much as he can about life, before it ends.  Zand brings Alexander a great gift, a representation of the truth that all men seek.  The question is, will Alexander manage to understand this truth or will he die never knowing what is real and what is illusion?





	1. Alexander's Greatest Defeat

Alexander the Great sits on his deathbed in the heart of Babylon contemplating life. He knows he will die soon, maybe in a few weeks, maybe a few months, maybe he will even last a year, but for the first time in his life he knows that death is certain. It hits him like a boulder being thrown against his chest...he will die. He tries to fight the feelings that come up - the feelings of fear, hopelessness, and the one feeling that almost all humans live with for most of their lives but rarely notice...the feeling of emptiness that comes with the universal thought, "What is the point of it all?"

Alexander fights his thoughts and feelings as tenaciously as he fought his enemies in all of the battles he has ever been in. He struggles against them, determined to win against his own mind, perseverant in this battle he is waging against his own being and against nature itself. He thinks back to all of his great accomplishments, all of his great victories, all of the wonderful wars he has waged and won.

"I am Alexander the Great" he thinks to himself, "I am on the level of the Gods. I have conquered almost the entire world, I have succeeded where all others have failed, I have named thousands of great cities after myself. The world will know my name forever. I will never be forgotten nor will my magnificent deeds!"

Alexander reflects on his glorious battles. He closes his eyes and sees himself riding his magnificent horse Bucephalus into battle, leading his army, always in front of the troops, always the first into the fray!

"No one is as brave or as skilled as Alexander" the troops used to shout. "No man has ever put himself in danger so many times and survived!" they would all say. Alexander loved to hear those words, loved to fight, loved to win, loved to conquer. He was the best, he was the greatest general that had ever lived or ever would live. He never lost! He never gave up even when the odds were so dramatically stacked against him, even when his armies were outnumbered 50 to 1 he ALWAYS managed to win the battle!

So why can he not win this miniscule battle against his own thoughts?  "So what" is the thought that keeps coming up, keeps plaguing him, keeps stabbing him in the chest.  

"I have beaten every worthy opponent on this planet!" Alexander thinks to himself.  So what?

"I have made my name known all across the world!"  So what?

"I have seen all there is to see, witnessed all of the greatest glories in every land!"  So what?

"I will go down in history and NEVER be forgotten!"  So what?

"I am a legend in my own time."  So what?

No matter how hard he tries, no matter how unrelenting he is, no matter how persistently he fights...that one thought keeps coming back.  Two little words have defeated the greatest conquering hero of all time.

"I AM Alexander the GREAT!!!"  So what?


	2. The Final Battle Plan of Alexander the Great

Alexander sits there on his deathbed feeling more defeated than he ever has before.  He has faced death many times, he has faced defeat many times, he has even tasted the bitter pill of losing more than once in his life, but nothing has ever crushed his spirit like these two horrible words..."so what."

Alexander puts his genius mind to work trying to conquer one last enemy.  He has done it countless times before against great kings and generals, he has created battle plans and strategies that ONLY a genius could come up with.  "One last time" Alexander thinks to himself, "You have it in you.  You've defeated every great nation in the world, surely you can defeat two stupid words."

Alexander thinks and thinks, fights and fights.  He uses every last bit of energy he has left in him to try and defeat this horrible thought that won't leave him alone for even a second now.  Suddenly he realizes something.  "The more I fight it the stronger it becomes."

This thought is like one of the great monsters from ancient Greek mythology.  A powerful beast that only grows stronger the more you fight it. 

"What can I do?" Alexander wonders, still not giving up, "How can I defeat something that only grows stronger the more I fight it?"

Then Alexander suddenly remembers his greatest tool for coming up with solutions to impossible problems...sleep.  Every great battle formation, every great strategy he has ever come up with came to him after he took a nap.  The process was always the same, he would stay up until all hours of the night drawing up plan after plan with no success until finally he would relent and take a short nap.  Then, inevitably, when he woke up the answer would come to him automatically and he would quickly grab his pen and parchment and furiously draw up plans and strategies that worked every time. 

"Take a nap" Alexander smiles to himself, "that I can do.  Especially in this state.  And when I wake up the answer will be there."

Alexander slumps down into his bed and falls asleep quickly, severely drained from hours of fighting his thoughts with more thinking.  He sleeps for ten hours and when he awakens he has his answer.  He calls for his greatest general, Ptolemy.

Ptolemy enters Alexanders throne room and sees him sitting up in bed looking more tired and closer to death than usual.  His heart leaps at the thought of Alexander finally dying and leaving the door wide open for him to have HIS turn at being the king and conquering lands in his own name. 

"Ptolemy I need you to do something for me" Alexander says weakly. 

"Yes my king" Ptolemy says calmly and professionally, acting like a general should.  Inside however he is giddy with excitement thinking that Alexander is about to ask for burial arrangements. 

"I need to you find a holy man" Alexander tells him, with a little more strength and authority in his voice this time. 

Ptolemy's heart sinks but he doesn't bat an eyelash as he keeps up his calm and professional demeanor.  "A holy man my king?"

"Yes" Alexander responds, gaining strength.  "I want you to find the wisest most revered sage in all the lands."

"King, we have already gathered the greatest healers in all of Babylon and beyond."

"I don't want a healer!" Alexander shouts, using up some of the strength he is gaining, "I want a sage, a wise man, a true believer.  Someone who has an answer to every question.  I have heard of such men living in the towns outside of Babylon.  I want you to find the greatest of them for me."

"I am unclear about exactly the type of man you are looking for my king" Ptolemy says, confused by Alexanders odd request.

"I simply want a wise man.  The Babylonian equivalent to Aristotle.  Do you understand?"

Ptolemy nods his head.  "I understand my king, but there will be no men as wise as Aristotle in this part of the world.  Just remember that I cannot do the impossible."

Alexander stares Ptolemy in the eyes and shoots him a bitter look that lets Ptolemy know that he can sense every bit of giddiness Ptolemy feels at the thought of Alexanders death.  "Then do what you're told.  Bring me five of the wisest men in all of the lands.  I don't care how far you have to go or how many men you need to send out...just grant me this one last request."

"Of course my king.  I will do everything in my power to get you the man you are looking for." 

 

   

 


	3. New Eyes

After two weeks of searching the cities, towns, and villages surrounding Babylon Ptolemy brings Alexander five wise men reputed to be the greatest sages in all of Persia.  The first man is led into Alexanders throne room by two armed guards.

"Hello Great Alexander the Great" the man says as he bows to the king.  "My name is Omid and I am here to do your bidding."

"Come closer" Alexander tells the man.  Omid gets up off of his knee and walks towards the powerful king.  Alexander can tell right away that this man is a charlatan.  He looks into the mans eyes, hears the mans words, and somehow he just knows that this man is not what he is looking for.  He can sense it.  

Alexander has been seeing things lately that he has never seen before.  It's as if the closer he gets to death the more he can sense a persons true intentions, true thoughts and feelings, true nature.  As the veil between heaven and earth gets thinner Alexander becomes more and more perceptive.  Things that he was once blind to are coming into focus as his ego slowly disintigrates.  His once overactive egoic mind is slowing down, fading away, and new perceptions are now available to him.  

"I have no need for you" Alexander tells the man, "You can leave."

The next man to enter is very tall, very regal looking.  "Hello great king" the man says with confidence and a deep reassuring look in his eyes.  "My name is Gilgamesh.  Whatever you need, just ask."

"Come closer" Alexander tells the man.  Gilgamesh approaches Alexander and stands by his bedside.  Alexander can sense great power from this man, great intelligence and wit.  But he is missing something.  There is something missing inside this man that is the one thing Alexander is looking for.

"What qualifies you to be a sage Gilgamesh?" Alexander asks.

"I have traveled many lands" Gilgamesh answers, "I have learned many things, met many great people, and I have transcended this earth and become one with the greatest power in the Universe."

"Your words are great" Alexander says, "but they are hollow.  Somehow I know that you do not truly mean them.  You have great power but you are not what I am looking for.  You can leave."

The next man is average in stature, humble in appearance, the opposite of the man Alexander just met.  He walks into the throne room as if he doesn't have a care in the world.  He walks as close to Alexanders bed as the guards will let him and then stands there, looking at Alexander with a joyful look in his eyes.  

"What is your name?"  Alexander asks the man.

"Zand" he replies.

"Come closer" Alexander tells him.  The guards now allow Zand to approach Alexander and he walks right up to the bed, stands there looking at Alexander with kind and compassionate eyes, and doesn't say a word.

Alexander has never met a man like this before, at least not that he remembers.  If he had met such a man in the past he wouldn't have given him a second thought, probably wouldn't even have noticed him.  Now however Alexander senses that this man has what he is looking for.

"What qualifies you to be a sage?" Alexander asks him.  

"The fact that I am happy" the man replies.  Alexander laughs for the first time in what seems like years.

"I like you Zand.  You are the man I am looking for.  You can stay."

Alexander has a comfortable chair brought in and Zand sits next to Alexander's bedside for over an hour as they talk about nothing important and laugh joyously the whole time.  

"I enjoy talking to you" Alexander says.  "You are the funniest man I have ever met.  I feel like I am gaining strength when I talk to you.  I feel like I am losing it whenever I talk to anyone else."

"Thank you" Zand replies.  "Now, please tell me what you want.  Why did you bring me here Alexander?"

Alexander sits there thinking for a few moments.  "I forgot" he answers.  Zand laughs.  

"I will leave you alone to think about it while I go to the bathroom" he tells Alexander.  

As Zand leaves and Alexander is left alone with his thoughts again, he suddenly remembers why he called upon such a man.  Alexander wonders why he forgot his purpose in calling upon a wise man.  Nothing like that has ever happened to him before.  His entire life he has been very sharp minded, very direct and to the point, he has always lived with great purpose and clarity.  "He is definitely the man I have been looking for" Alexander thinks to himself.  "I knew it the minute I saw him." 

 


	4. The Most Important Question

Zand comes back from the bathroom and sits down in the comfortable chair again.  Alexander quickly tells him what he wants, afraid that he will forget again.  

"Zand I need you to tell me the meaning of life" Alexander says with urgency.  "Please, what is the point of it all?"

Zand smiles.  "That's an easy and simple question Alexander.  The purpose of life is to live."

Alexander sits there dumbfounded for a moment.  He thinks that maybe he was wrong, maybe this man isn't what he was looking for at all.  "That's not the answer I'm looking for."

"But that's the answer" Zand replies.  "We don't always get what we want now do we?"

"I do" Alexander retorts, starting to lose his patience all of a sudden.  "I am Alexander the Great and I always get what I want!!!"

"That's not true" Zand replies with a smile, "You didn't get what you wanted just now."

"You are starting to irritate me old man" Alexander says angrily.  "Give me a real answer.  A good answer.  Something that lets me know life means something."

"Life means whatever it means to whoever it is supposed to mean something to" Zand says as he laughs at Alexander.

"You're a fool" Alexander shouts.  "You know I could have you killed with a word don't you?"

"I know" Zand replies with a smile on his face.  Alexander is taken aback by his response.  He wonders if this man is suicidal or if he really does know something about life that Alexander needs to find out.

"So, if you know I can have you killed so easily, then why do you provoke me?"

"Ah, now there is a question I can give a satisfying answer to" Zand replies.  "First of all I know you won't have me killed because you don't want to have me killed...I can sense it.  But that is not the answer you are looking for now is it?"

"No" Alexander replies, calmer now and curious to see what Zands next words will be.

"The main reason I provoke you is because I enjoy it and because I have no fear of death" Zand says.  

"Neither do I" Alexander says, almost as a question.

"If you don't fear death then why am I here?" Zand asks.

Alexander pauses for a moment.  His head is spinning and he can't figure out what to say next.  After a few moments he collects himself and answers the question.  "What happens after you die?"

Zand smiles.  "Different people experience different things after death Alexander.  Some meet the God of Gods, the Great Creator Himself.  Others simply are reborn and come back to this land in a different body.  And yet others go to different places, different worlds entirely.  And that is just the beginning.  Anything can happen in this Universe.  After all, it's simply just a game.  Just a tremendous game we all play and that most of us take too seriously.  That is why I have no fear of death Alexander.  I know deep in my soul that life is just a game, a dream, an illusion that comes and goes and comes and goes again.  It is not the end of anything but a very amazing game."

Alexander sits there for awhile pondering Zands answer.  Part of him thinks it is the truth while another part of him refuses to believe a word of it.  The conflict inside of him makes Alexander dizzy and confused.

"What are you feeling right now Alexander?"

"I don't know.  I'm too confused to even know what I feel at the moment.  I suppose I feel more uplifted and relieved.  But on the other hand I also feel angry and disappointed.  It's very strange."

"It's normal" Zand tells Alexander.  "Most people in your situation would feel that way.  It took me years to comprehend what I just told you.  Don't expect to understand it.  You weren't meant to understand such things in this lifetime."

"What was I meant to do in this lifetime then" Alexander asks.

"Ah, the real question starts to emerge!" Zand exclaims. 

"What do you mean?" Alexander asks.

"You did not bring me here to ask about life and death.  You brought me here to ask about yourself king Alexander."

Alexander thinks about it for a moment and then suddenly realizes that he is right.  That is what he wanted the entire time.  "How did you know what I wanted when I didn't even know what I wanted myself?"

Zand smiles.  "I sensed it.  The way you are beginning to sense peoples true intentions, true thoughts and feelings.  I can sense a great many things."

"How did you learn such a talent?"

"By answering one simple question" Zand replies.  "I asked myself a question for many years and did not stop until I found the answer."

"What question?" Alexander asks with baited breath.

"Who am I?" Zand responds.

 

 


	5. The Great Answer

"Tell me then Zand" Alexander pleads, "Who am I?"

Zand laughs.  "First of all Alexander it took me almost fifty years to answer that question.  You don't have that kind of time.  Second of all I can't tell you who you are.  That is a question that every man needs to answer for himself."

Alexander is disheartened.  "Can't you tell me anything?"

"I could give you a hint but there would be no point" Zand answers.  "You wouldn't understand.  The words would not be comprehensible to you.  It would be as if I were speaking a foreign tongue."

"Just tell me" Alexander demands.  "I am a genius, maybe I will understand faster than you expect."

Zand laughs and laughs, making Alexander red in the face.  "Please excuse me Alexander.  I have never met a king before.  I find it quite amusing."

"JUST TELL ME YOU BASTARD!!!"

This just makes Zand laugh harder.  Zand laughs for so long that Alexander finally calms down.  "Maybe if I show you it will give you a small glimpse of understanding."

"Show me how?"

"I will tell you what" Zand says, wiping the tears from his eyes, "You lend me one thousand gold pieces and I will come back with something that might, just MIGHT, help you understand a little about who you are."

Alexander thinks about it for a moment.  A thousand gold pieces means nothing to him but if Zand runs off with the money it will make Alexander look like a fool.  "I will lend you the gold old man.  But if you don't bring it back I will have you hunted down and killed."

"Fair enough" Zand sighs.  "I will be back within three days Alexander.  But I make no promises, NO guarantees that it will help you in any way."

"Just make sure you do as you say" Alexander threatens. 

Zand stands up and walks casually out of the throne room.  "Keep a clear mind Alexander.  Without a clear mind the answer I bring you will be a waste of my time and yours."

                                                                                  ------------------------------------------

Three days pass and Alexander anxiously awaits his precious answer.  He feels curious, giddy, intrigued, and excited for the first time since his greatest companion Hephaestion died a few years ago.  When he hears that Zand has returned Alexander is almost able to jump out of bed he has so much energy. 

"The Persian, Zand is here to see you" a guard announces to Alexander. 

"Let him in, let him in" Alexander tells the guard. 

To Alexanders delight Zand enters the throne room with a big sack slung over his shoulder. 

"Is that it?" Alexander asks enthusiastically, "Is that my answer?"

"Yes" Zand answers as he puts the sack down, "And it is very heavy!  I hope you appreciate this Alexander."

"I will" Alexander exclaims, "Show it to me!"

"Patience is a virtue Alexander" Zand says as he stretches out his arms.  

"I am patient when I need to be" Alexander responds.  "Please, just bring it over here."

"It's heavy" Zand says as he takes a deep breath, "Have one of the guards carry it."

"Guard!  Bring me that sack.  Put it right here next to me on the bed."  Alexander moves over on his bed so there is room for the sack.  One of the guards picks up the sack and carries it over to Alexander's bed and lays it down next to him.  Alexander immediately opens the sack and sees what is inside.  His eyes widen as he gazes at it.

Inside the sack is a giant ball of gold, about the size of a basketball.  "Does this represent me?" Alexander says excitedly.  

"Yes!" Zand exclaims as he walks over to Alexander's bedside.  "But there is more to it than meets the eye."

Alexander studies the giant ball of gold.  First he runs his hand over its smooth surface and gazes at it's shiny beautiful appearance.  Something seems off about this gold however.  Alexander taps it with his knuckles and finds that it is not solid.  It sounds almost hollow but Alexander can tell that there is something inside.

"Is there something inside of this gold Zand?" Alexander asks curiously. 

"Yes" Zand answers, "That just represents your outer layer Alexander.  And it isn't gold by the way...it's fools gold."

Alexander frowns.  "Are you saying that I am a fool?"

"Yes" Zand answers, "But there is much more to it than that."

"What do you mean?"

"What that fools gold represents is your outer self" Zand begins.  "Almost every man and woman on the planet has an outer self that they show to the world.  It is made up of things such as the way a person represents their self to others, a person's accomplishments in this world, the way a person acts in order to be accepted and acknowledged by others.  It is an individual's persona, the mask they wear in order to hide their true thoughts and feelings from the world."

"I don't do that" Alexander defends himself.  "I am myself, I do what I want and act how I want.  I do not pretend to be anything other than what I am!"

"Is that so?" Zand asks.  "Have you not spent your entire life striving for fame and glory in order to gain the admiration of other people?"

"NO!  I did it for myself."

"Is that so?" Zand asks again.  "How do you know what you want or why you do things Alexander?  You don't know yourself."

Alexander's heart sinks.  He was hoping for a better answer than this and he knows that Zand is right.  Alexander ponders whether he has ever truly done what he wanted because HE wanted it or if it was all to please his father, his friends, and the people of the world that look up to him.  

"I'm not like everyone else" Alexander mutters.  "I have accomplished greater things than any man."

"Yes" Zand agrees, "You have accomplished great things...on the surface.  But, from a higher perspective, you are just like everyone else.  You are only different from everyone else in the size of your accomplishments in this game.  Remember that life is a game Alexander.  The God of Gods looks down at all of your accomplishments on this planet and sees them as you would a child winning at a game of dice.  In the game you have accomplished much but in reality you have accomplished little in this lifetime.  You have changed very little over the course of your life, learned next to nothing that is important, and you have not come one step closer to knowing yourself."

Alexander feels a mixture of sadness and anger.  He doesn't know whether to cry or to have this man executed.  "So you're saying my life has no meaning?"

"Not at all" Zand says in a comforting tone.  "Your life went according to how your soul wanted it to go.  Your soul didn't come into this world to learn anything, it came to do exactly what you did...fight, conquer, and change the landscape of the world.  There is nothing wrong with that.  You did exactly what you wanted to do and now the game is over and it is time to start a new one.  That's all."

This lifts Alexander's spirits a little.  "So what is inside this fools gold?  What else am I?"

Zand smiles.  "Let's have a look."

 

   


	6. The Second Layer

"Guard" Zand motions to one of the guards standing at the doorway, "Please come here and break open this gold with the handle of your sword."

The guard looks at Alexander for confirmation and Alexander nods.  The guards breaks open the outer layer of fools gold and reveals a spongy black substance underneath.  

"What is this?" Alexander asks with a disturbed look on his face.  

"Investigate it and find out" Zand tells him.

Alexander touches the black substance and finds that the outer layer is dry and spongy.  Alexander pokes his finger through it and feels that underneath the dry layer is a soft wet layer.  He quickly pulls his finger out and finds that it has a brownish black substance on it.  He smells his finger and scowls.

Zand gets a big smile on his face.  It is the kind of sheepish smile a child would have after they have done something naughty.  "What does it smell like?"

"It smells like manure" Alexander says through gritted teeth.

"You're right!" Zand exclaims, "It's sheep dung!"

Alexander's eyes turn into slits and he looks at Zand with an expression of pure hatred.  Even in his weakened condition Alexander has the ability to make most men tremble with this look...but not Zand.  "Are you comparing me to sheep dung old man?"

Zand laughs a mercurial laugh.  "Yes and no.  This represents the second layer of what you, and most other people in the world, are underneath the outer layer that they show to the world."

"Explain" Alexander says demandingly, still looking at Zand with that deadly expression.

"You see the dung represents the part of yourself that you are trying to hide from the world.  It is your insecurities, your doubts, your fears, your pain...everything you think is you that you don't want anyone to see.  It is your belief system, the thoughts about yourself that are less than flattering.  This Alexander is why people wear masks.  This dung is what everyone is afraid of and spend all of their time trying to hide from the world, usually even from themselves."

"I am not afraid of anything" Alexander says, still gritting his teeth. 

"You're not?" Zand asks.  "Did you not call me here in the first place out of a fear of death?"

Alexander turns red.  He wants to argue with the man but there is nothing for him to say.  For the life of him Alexander can't come up with one word to defend himself with.

"Don't feel ashamed" Zand consoles, "It's not like you are alone.  Practically every man and woman on this planet has this layer.  I had this layer too.  This is what makes it so hard to know yourself.  It took me fifty years to get through those first two layers and find what I truly am."

"So you're saying there is something underneath this manure?" Alexander says with hope in his voice.

"Yes" Zand smiles.  "And I know you will be very pleased to find what is underneath.  Go ahead, peel away the layer of manure and find out what you truly are."

 


	7. The Truth

Alexander hesitates to touch the sheep dung again but he is so curious that he starts to peel it away anyways.  He peels away the sheep dung as if he is opening a present and when he is finally done scraping through all of the manure he finds another sack, right in the middle of the sheep dung, about the size of a baseball.  Alexander pulls out the sack and can barely lift it because it is so heavy.  He puts it in his lap and looks at it.

"Open it" Zand says smiling from ear to ear.

Alexander, hands covered in manure, unties the knot on the sack and opens it up.  Inside is real gold, polished, shiny, and beautiful.  "Is this real?"

"It is the thousand gold pieces you lent me" Zand tells him.  "I melted them down and made them into the nicest looking ball of gold I could.  Look how it shines, feel its presence.  Have you ever really paid attention to gold Alexander?  It is as if it has a spirit of its own.  It is one of the most precious and magnificent substances on earth."

"And this is me?" Alexander says looking at the ball of gold, trying to hold back tears.  "This is what I truly am?"

"YES!" Zand exclaims.  "This represents what you truly are.  The outer layer was fake, a pale representation of this, the real thing.  The second layer of dung represents all of the dark thoughts and feelings that keep you from seeing the truth, the truth of who and what you are and have been since the day you were born.  You see it's all just a game Alexander, and getting to this is the real point of it all.  As humans we cover up our brilliance with manure and then pretend to be what we already are in the first place!  Isn't that funny?!!!"

"So what exactly am I?" Alexander asks, still looking down at the shiny gold ball in his lap.

"You are light!" Zand exclaims, "You are love, you are power, you are confidence, you are EVERYTHING!!!  You are part of the God of Gods, a piece of the greatest power in existence!  Isn't it wonderful!"

Alexander's jaw drops.  He finally looks up from the ball of gold and stares at Zand with appreciation in his eyes.  "I am a God?"

Zand laughs.  "Yes!  Not THE God but you do have God's power inside of you."

"I always knew I was a God" Alexander says with starry eyes.  "Somehow I always knew how great I was."

"You are right and you are also wrong" Zand says.  "You are great, you are a God, at least in some sense, but I think you are a little confused about what that means.  You are no better than any other man or woman.  We are all Gods, we just don't know it.  And when I say 'know' I mean understand it to the core of your being.  Are you getting this?"

Alexander looks confused.  "If we are ALL Gods then what makes us special?"

"Our uniqueness makes us special" Zand replies lovingly.  "The God of Gods created us all to be different in our own way.  But at our core, at the very core of every human being, we are the same.  We have the same power inside of us, the same...energy.  It is very hard to explain.  Just know that you are unique, that God created you, and that God is at your core.  In that sense you are The God of God's himself."

"What you say makes no sense" Alexander complains.  "Am I a God or am I just another human?"

Zand sighs.  He can see where this conversation is headed.  "You are a God.  I will just leave it at that."

"Thank you" Alexander says to Zand, "Thank you for confirming what I have always known, like you said, deep down in my core.  Thank you for confirming that I am a God.  Maybe not as great as Zeus, but still great."

Zand smiles at the starry eyed Alexander.  "I must leave now Alexander.  It has been nice meeting you.  Maybe we will meet again...in another life, another game."

"Yes" Alexander smiles, "I will look forward to that.  Thank you for showing me what I am Zand.  I am pleased with you."

Zand leaves, half shaking his head, half laughing.  Alexander sits there on his bed, covered in sheep dung, holding the big piece of gold in his hands and staring off into space feeling uplifted by the thought that he is truly a God.


	8. The Fate of Alexander the Great

In the days that follow his meeting with the enlightened sage Zand, Alexander turns his attention from thoughts of life's most important questions to something more comforting to him.  He picks up an old tattered and faded copy of his favorite book of all time - The Iliad.  Besides maybe Hephaestion, this book means more to Alexander than anything ever has.  He fell in love with it as a child and has read the entire saga hundreds, maybe even over a thousand times.  In his last days he once again reads the magnificent tale of the great war over Troy and the exploits of wonderful heroes such as the giant Ajax, the cunning Odysseus, and, of course, Alexander's favorite hero of them all Achilles. 

Before Alexander can finish the tale one last time however he becomes so weary that he can't even sit up in bed anymore, in fact he can barely breathe.  He knows the end is very near and he announces to his generals that he will soon be dead.

All of Alexander's generals gather in the meeting room in the palace and watch as four guards carry him in on a bed and gently lay him in the middle of the room.  The generals - Ptolemy, Craterus, Antipater, and all the rest gather around the great king Alexander and wait to hear his final words.  

Alexander lays there, his precious copy of The Iliad laying on his chest with his hand over it, struggling to breathe, but with a slight smile on his face.  In the days that have passed since his talks with Zand Alexander has come to accept some truths.  He has come to believe that life is just a game and that he will be back to have more adventures and more exciting battles soon enough.  He believes that he will see Hephaestion and Bucephalus again and he is looking forward to that.  He believes that he will see Zand again and he is looking forward to getting to know him better in the next life, the next game he plays.  Most of all Alexander takes solace in the thought that he is a God and that he truly is great.  He clutches to that thought even though, deep down, he can sense that he is far from understanding what a God really is or even what he really is.

"Great king" Ptolemy says softly, "It is time for you to name your successor.  Which one of us do you bequeath your empire to?"

Alexander's smile grows, one last sheepish grin to top them all.  "To the strongest."

Alexander's generals all eye each other, their minds already racing as to how they will outwit and kill each other to become the next great king of earth.  Alexander closes his eyes for good, still smiling, and says his last words.

"I foresee a great funeral contest...over me."  With that, the life force leaves Alexander's body and his copy of The Iliad slips out of his dead hand and falls to the floor.  His spirit floats up out of his body and hovers for a moment to watch his generals plot and scheme around his lifeless corpse.  Then he passes over, through a tunnel and into the light, headed for another lifetime, another game, another roll of the dice.

In his next life Alexander came back as a peasant.  He had his 15 minutes of fame and glory in his previous life and he would never experience anything like that again in any other life after that.  It would be Alexander's fate to live many lives, many cycles of birth, death, pain, suffering, joy, fun, adventure, happiness, and so on.  It would take hundreds of more lifetimes before Alexander finally reached the point that Zand was at when he first encountered his spirit.  But, as all spirits do, Alexander's spirit finally found itself.  After hundreds of lifetimes he finally realized, understood, and came to know who and what he truly is. 

 


End file.
